4 perfect picnic spots in the Sierra foothills, from Sonora to Yosemite

Share this:

The picnic area at Sonora's Indigeny Reserve boasts beautiful orchard views and plenty of shade.

Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group

Haley McMillen, left, with son Henry Gracey, 2, of Modesto, chats with Elizabeth Nickerson, of Oakdale, chat over cider at Indigeny Reserve.

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group

The Blackberry, right, and Extra Crisp hard ciders at Sonora's Indigeny Reserve can be tasted in the ciderworks' tasting room, or purchased and taken out to the picnic area.

Courtesy Dino Vournas

The Hetch Hetchy reservoir makes a stunning backdrop for any hike. You'll find picnic tables tucked near the dam and parking lot.

Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group

Picnic tables are tucked among the historic buildings at Columbia State Historic Park.

Columbia Kate's Teahouse and Cafe now has a bakery outpost across the
street. (Photo: Jackie Burrell/Bay Area News Group)

Brian Phipps and Barbara Patterson, of San Jose, enjoy an autumn day at
Pinecrest Lake with their dog Shasta. In the summer months, this lake and
its shoreline are filled with people, but fall brings peace to this
mountainside region.
(Courtesy of Dino Vournas)

There’s something irresistible about autumn picnics. Summer’s heat has waned and the crisp air makes us long for al fresco feasts — perhaps with a Thermos of something warm and hearty to accompany those sandwiches, cider and sides.

The foothills of the Gold Country are dotted with beautiful picnic spots. Here are just a few of our favorites.

Hetch Hetchy Valley, Yosemite

At 3,900 feet, the Hetch Hetch Valley enjoys some of the mildest weather and longest hiking season in the park. Tuck a sandwich in your day pack to enjoy on your hike, or grab a perch at one of the picnic tables closer to the dam or parking lot. Either way, grab that sandwich in Groveland, where Kevin and Randi’s Old-Fashioned Meat Market makes veggie wraps and sandwiches ($8) to order. The Corned Beef Molly, is especially popular.

Details: Purchase a pass to enter the park ($30 per car) at Yosemite‘s Big Oak Flat entrance or — even more convenient, if you’re there between May and October — at Groveland’s Visitor Center, which is in the same shopping center as the deli. Find Kevin and Randi’s at 18687 Main St., Groveland.

Columbia State Historic Park, Columbia

Picnic tables are tucked among the historic buildings at Columbia State Historic Park. Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group

Picnic tables are tucked among the trees and meadows of this wonderfully preserved Gold Rush Town, behind the Fallon Theatre, near the City Hotel, by the Columbia Engine Company No. 1 firehouse and oh-so-conveniently near Columbia Kate’s Bakery. So pack up that checkered tablecloth and plan to pick up picnic fare when you arrive in town. The bakery offers quiche, pot pies and Runsas, hot pocket sandwiches whose fillings vary from ground beef and swiss to a breakfasty egg, bacon and cheese. (But if you choose to picnic on cinnamon rolls or scones instead, we wouldn’t blame you. They’re delicious.) Need sarsaparilla to wash that down? Brown’s Coffee House, sells sarsaparilla as well as lemonade, espresso drinks and ice cream on Main Street.

Indigeny Reserve, Sonora

The views alone would make this a perfect picnic destination: 160 acres of apple orchards, rolling hills and scenic vistas. That you can nip inside Indigeny Reserve’s tasting room to buy chilled hard cider and non-alcoholic sips to accompany your picnic just makes it all the better. Stop off first in Sonora’s historic downtown to pick up pulled pork sandwiches ($9.75) at the Lighthouse Deli — or, if you’re feeling spontaneous — head for Indigeny directly. The ciderhouse gift shop sells crackers and salami and cheese packs and, if you skipped the whole picnic basket thing entirely, small sets of paper plates and napkins.

Details: Indigeny Reserve is open daily at 14679 Summers Lane on the outskirts of Sonora. The Lighthouse Deli is open Monday-Saturday at 28 S. Washington St., www.thelighthousedeli.com.

Pinecrest Lake, Pinecrest

Fall brings peace to Pinecrest Lake. (Courtesy of Dino Vournas)

During the summer months, this popular lake is such a draw, cabins and campgrounds book up months ahead and traffic slows to a crawl. But the lake turns serene and peaceful in the fall, and all those barbecue grills and picnic tables are yours to enjoy, sans crowds. Grab sandwiches ($6.50-$8.75) first at Alicia’s Sugar Shack in Sugar Pine, where the Tall Classic Club and The Emily — a turkey, bacon, avocado and jack sandwich — await.

Jackie Burrell is the editor and senior writer for the Mercury News and East Bay Times' Eat Drink Play section, which explores the West Coast's food, wine, cocktail and travel scene each week. An award-winning writer, Burrell joined the Bay Area News Group staff in 2000.

More in Travel & Play

Paris Mayor Ariel Weil has called it "une invention de genie," "an invention of genius" that can solve a problem that persists in cities like Paris, at least until it rains. "If we don't do anything, then men are just going to pee in the streets," Weil told Reuters.

A wildfire destroyed structures and forced evacuations Monday from the busiest area of Montana's Glacier National Park, as officials in California prepared to reopen Yosemite National Park following a two-week closure at the height of the summer season.